Quick Recap: Notre Dame makes Louisville hold up the “L” for real in 82-70 win

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish got their first win against the Louisville Cardinals in the KFC Yum! Center since 2015 with an 82-70 showing that saw some fireworks from both teams.

Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

I said before the game that Louisville wasn’t very explosive offensively — and they took that personally. In the first half, the Cardinals were on fire — especially from three in where they were 9-13 in the first half. Jarrod West came off the bench and put 14 points on the board thanks to a 4-4 performance behind the three point line. At one point, West drained a three during three consecutive Cardinal possessions.

Notre Dame was streaky throughout the first half, but the combined efforts of 10 point halves from both Blake Wesley and Paul Atkinson kept the game somewhat close going into the half with a 45-38 deficit.

The Cardinals couldn’t maintain their hot streak in the second half, and the Irish made them pay time after time with minimal turnovers and great shooting from outside. The Irish made 15 three point shots on the night, while Louisville went cold. Jarrod West, for example, scored zero points in the second half.

Blake Wesley led all scorers with 22 points, and Paul Atkinson and Dane Goodwin each added 13 points of their own. Prentiss Hubb had a solid outing as well and scored 12 points.

It was a big win on the road for the Irish despite the Cards not being the tough team that we are used to. Notre Dame will have 3 more games to play over the next 8 days, with two of those games being back in South Bend. At present, the Irish are just a half game back of leading the ACC.

*Editor’s Note: There was a mix up on the coverage schedule today, and I made no notes during the game.